Hooked
by Ienyu
Summary: After an incident which forces brothers Arthur and Scott to move in with their uncle in Florida, Arthur soon comes to realize the waters off the coast don't just hold the typical fish found in the local aquarium. There's something else swimming in the sea, and he's a fast food-loving mermaid named Alfred. UKUS/USUK


Hooked

I'd been itching to write a Hetalia fanfiction, so here it is! It's a mainly UkUsUk, so there's no clear 'seme' if you will. Even though I really want to, I'll refrain from adding my other OTP of Australia and Scotland… it really is a guilty pleasure. Though if there are any takers, I'll gladly throw in some hints… owo

Also! I don't have the best eye for error, so if any are spotted please _message_me! And I do love reviews :3

Noah- Australian rhyming slang for a shark

* * *

It was hot, unerringly more so than back home. Even standing in the shade provided by the tall leafy palms made it only perhaps a fraction of a Celsius cooler, however despite the heat, the people were moving as if the sun wasn't trying to roast their skin; cheerful, bustling and alive. He had already lost count of how many cars had passed by and pretty much gave up counting the people in the first minute. Occasionally someone would unknowingly bump into him if he wasn't paying attention, knocking him slightly off balance. On one such occasion, a rather raucous teenager with his pants halfway down his legs practically shoved him to the ground as he pushed through the people jammed onto the sidewalk, knocking the white plush unicorn out of his small hands and into the streets. Frantically, he dove for the stuffed toy in the throng of people, desperate to save it from being trampled. Luckily, he was able to save Sprinkles with no complications. From then on, he held the toy like a lifeline.

Chewing lightly on his lower lip in thought, he watched the crowds much more carefully. He knew that Florida was definitely a change from his quiet village in England, but wow. So this was America. It was a bit of a culture shock, and it made him a little on-edge.

Gasping, the small sandy-blonde suddenly squeezed his plush unicorn tighter to his chest as someone knocked into him from behind. Beside him, his older brother rolled his eyes and huffed 'Pansy' under his breath. The person who had accidentally bumped into him said a quick sorry, quirking a fine eyebrow when they noticed the two boys were all alone and asked where their parents were.

"I-"He began awkwardly, burying part of his face in the furry pink and blue mane of his stuffed friend.

"We're waiting for a relative to pick us up. We're here on summer holiday." His brother interrupted, glaring straight at the stranger, daring them to not believe his story. They looked skeptical, but left anyways.

"Scott…"

"Shut up Arthur. "He closed deep green eyes and leaned back against the large burgundy suitcase between them, replacing a lime green ear bud.

Arthur frowned; looking into the large beady eyes of his unicorn, suddenly wishing it would come to life so it could whisk him away and take him back home. He wanted his big brothers words to be true and that they really were just on holiday, but the reality wasn't as innocent. He could feel his eyes begin to water as tears threatened to spill but stifled them with a sniffle, stiffening his quivering lip and blinking away any unwanted moisture. He was a big boy. He had to start acting like one.

Just three months ago had been his birthday. After his presents and cake; once all his friends had gone home and the sun just began to dip behind the rolling green hills, his father had sat in his favorite chair and picked Arthur up, placing him on his leg.

"Arthur, now that you're ten, it means things are going to be quite different. From today forward, you need to work on growing up to become a fine young man! That means not crying over silly things anymore, getting a woman who makes you happy, and lastly-!" His father had said, prying Sprinkles from his tired hands. "-Getting rid of this raggedy old thing! A boy doesn't need stuffed animals at this age, right Arthur?" The only thing he remembered after that was waking up in his bed with sore eyes, Sprinkles safe and sound next to him, his dad by his bed apologizing, and his mum watching from the doorway; large wooden spoon in hand.

With the exception of getting rid of Sprinkles, his pop had been completely right. He had to be a man, for both his mother and his father. In this new environment, he couldn't burden Scott who was to merge into a new high school and find a new job with taking care of him constantly. He had to grow up, so he pushed back those sad thoughts away.

Sudden`ly, a jeep by a brand unfamiliar to Arthur pulled up on the curve beside them. A rugged looking man with wild, dirty-blonde hair jumped down from the doorless driver's seat and strode towards them, placid smile on his face.

"G'day boys! " The man spoke with a loud, and strong Australian accent, drawing a few looks when he spoke, and then another look when bystanders' caught sight of his impressive eyebrows. If he noticed them, he didn't seem to care, and enveloped the two boys in a massive hug. The man was staggering, dwarfing even Scott, who had been the tallest in the family at five foot eleven, by two heads. As he pulled them even closer, Arthur had to flail for air as he was crushed into the man's stomach.

"Crikey, it feels like years since I've seen you kids, last time I member' it had to have been when Artie was barely on his own two feet!" The voice slowly began to fade into nothing more than low blurbs of sound to Arthur as he slipped away into the inner recesses of his memory, searching for any recollections of this man.

"Uh… Uncle Kyle...?" Scott stammered, wrapping an awkward arm around the massive torso of the man. Possibly the last time he had seen his Uncle was when he himself was only nine and Arthur was three, but his memory of his uncle back then was an almost 180 from the man who stood above them, crushing them in his arms. Ok more like a 90. He was just as clingy before as well.

"Hm? What is it m'boy?"

"Arthur can't breathe."

Looking down, the psuedo-aussie looked down at the little boy sandwiched between himself and Scott. A bellowing laugh erupted from his chest and he backed away, slapping Arthur in the back.

"So it seems! Why didn't you speak up sooner mate? You know, you're pretty puny for your age!"  
Arthur looked away huffing, cheeks tinged red from lack of oxygen.

"Awe, don't get your denims in a twist! We'll get you home and I'll fix ya a real American welcome buffet, mate!"

True to his word, Kyle had somehow under the time frame of about twenty minutes procured the largest spread of protein and fiber Arthur had ever seen. The two picked wearily at their own meals, each plate stacked high and looking like they could topple over at any moment in an avalanche of bacon, scrambled eggs, sausage patties and hash browns.

"Come on now, don't be shy! I promise everything's one hundred percent edible and nutritious!" He assured, taking a large chunk of toast into his mouth and washing it down with a pint of orange juice. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he gave the two a look that resembled a kindergartener about to show their parents a picture made in class that day from cheap colored macaroni and glue.  
"And when ya'll are finished, I have somewhere special I want to bring you two."

The older of the brothers hitched a ginger eyebrow in question, looking back down on his food as he cut a small piece of egg with his fork; a bit curious but otherwise uninterested with whatever the brawny uncle had in store. In contrast, being one who never liked waiting to find out what a 'surprise' had in store, Arthur practically inhaled all the food he could; so focused he could barely tell the difference between a sausage or hashbrown. However despite efforts to alpine the mountain, the end result was futile to avoid. About a third of the food down, and he felt like he had eaten a 40 pound lead block smothered in fryer grease. Not even the relieving belch made a difference in calming the raging slurry of food in his stomach, though the sheer force of the upheaval of gastric gas was applauded with gusto by his uncle ("Hahaha! Didn't know you had that sort of noise in ya' Artie! Like a sleeping lion within a lil' bunny rabbit!") and even his normally cold brother. Face reddening immediately; he hung his head so his bangs would hide his burning face. Thankfully the elder also took the burp as a signal to end breakfast, ushering the two to bring their things to their rooms, ("Scott, your room is upstairs and to the right of the bathroom. Artie, yours is to the left. I think you'll especially like yours; the view's spectacular!"), promising to take them to the surprise location once they had settled in a bit.

In contrast to the jam-packed and busy city with its close-quarter living style, their uncle's house was actually pretty isolated; alone perched atop a low rocky slope covered in dune grass cradling lapping waves to the west. In a sense, it looked like it was pulled right from a painting with its crisp white paint-job and large windows, but like his uncle had said; it was the view that blew the rest out of the water. Dragging his suitcase that Scott had at least helped bring to the top of the staircase to the bench attached to the bay-window, he stared in awe at the expansive view of the sea; mesmerized by the shimmering ripples of the oceanic waters before him as he pressed his forehead to the cool glass. Would the water be cold like the lakes back home? He never had the chance to swim in the sea before, so maybe, he mused, the pristine waters would be warm like in the stories he had heard.

"Arthur, Uncle Kyle's ready to go. Quit staring into space and come on you git." His brother's voice sounded from the hallway, following heavy footsteps as he descended.  
Arthur stuck his tongue out at the doorway that Scott had passed and begrudgingly pushed away from the window, following his brother down the stairs and out the door.

As they piled into the back if the doorless jeep, the engine suddenly roared to life, jerking backwards and almost throwing Arthur out of the passenger's seat. Gulping, he quickly buckled the fat metal clip of the seat belt and held onto the jeep's side bar as tightly as possible as it sped backwards down the long dirt driveway and onto the road.

In addition to no doors, the jeep also happened to lack a roof. ("Don't need a roof, afta' all, I never drive if it's not nice weather!") Not that Arthur minded however, he actually found himself enjoying the wind that pulled at his hair playfully from all sides. It was like natural air conditioning for the heat that rolled off the asphalt in waves. Somehow, it reminded him of lying in the thick grass of his old backyard, his dad and Scott on his left and right while his own head rest peacefully on the lap of his mother. On warm starry nights, the four of them would just sit, and his father would watch the sky as if expecting something to come down. Arthur usually found these moments a tad dull and often fidgeted here and there, but now... He closed emerald eyes in memory. A moment like that would be nice.

Somewhere down the line he must have fallen asleep, as when he blearily opened his eyes, the jeep was no longer on route and now stood stationary in an expansive parking lot. A cold bottle was pressed lightly against his cheek, and sluggishly turning his head, he was surprised to see Scott leaning against the makeshift passenger's seat.

"Here. It's too hot to lie there. That's how dogs die." The red-head said nonchalantly, dropping the bottle of Aquafina into the blonde's lap. Quickly uncapping the water, he greedily downed almost the entire bottle, its plastic form crunching in his hand as he sucked in the water ravenously. Sighing in content, he splashed the remaining water on his head, shaking the excess and earning a small scowl from Scott.

Sliding out the back, the two wordlessly entered what appeared to be a large outdoor box office of some sort; low-grade air conditioners trying their hardest to cool down the surroundings as people entered in orderly lines where workers did a quick bag check and hand stamp. Was this the surprise Uncle Kyle had in store for them? Across the way, Arthur caught a glimpse of Uncle Kyle beckoning them towards to him. Following the example of the crowd, the two made their way through each station awkwardly, having never had done so before. As the cool ink stamp hit his small hand gently, Arthur looked in question at the image that now marked him. It had the upper body of a normal human, but rather than legs, it had a long aquatic tail.

He stared at it, entranced by the blurry image the cheap ink had outlined, until Scott pulled him away with an eye roll. ("What are you doing just standing there? You're holding up the line.")

"Hey Uncle Kyle… what's this?" Arthur asked once the pair had made it to where the elder stood, holding up his stamped-hand for his uncle to see.

"Let's see ere', what do we have here?" Kyle rubbed his chin in fake emphasis of thought. "It seems you got yourself a mermaid there mate! How bout' you Scott?"

"…Loch Ness Monster."

"Haha! How fitting! You know when you were a lad you used to love that ole' girl. Also went starkers for Noah's. But now's not the time for reminiscing, we're in one of the best aquariums in the sunshine state! There's a lot for us to see today, so let's roll!" Pulling out a park-issued map, he swiftly pointed, prodded, and dragged his finger across the layout like a coach would a game plan as he prattled off as many attractions as he could.

Glancing at each other skeptically, something told the brothers that the afternoon was going to be a long one. However as they embarked, they suddenly found themselves submerged deep into the aquatic world far from the normal reaches of man.

Dark besides for the serene glow from the tanks, a soft rippling light reflected on the carpeted floor and across Arthurs face as he watched in awe, face against the glass, at the shimmering schools that swam over towers of rock and coral. Having had only seen living fish in the murky waters off the port back home, this view breathed new life into the creatures he had once found unsightly. These fish were graceful and of colors fit for an artist's pallet. A complete contrast to the piles of dull grey coalfish stacked helplessly in piles on the docks.

Glancing at the admittance stamp he had received, he tried picturing what a real mermaid would look like. Would her tail glimmer as it moved, like the scales of the fish in the tank? He would have to ask Sprinkles when he went back to Uncle Kyle's house. Surely all mythical creatures had connections with each other.

The rest of the day continued with more exotic creatures that seemed to ignite even a little bit of excitement in Scott, who, sitting cross-legged in front of the expansive shark tank, intently watched the slow moving beasts prowl their domain. When pulled from his odd trance with the dorsal-backed monsters, he humiliatingly refrained from eye contact with Arthur and Kyle, who eyed him knowingly, and brushed past the two towards a cylindrical tank containing a plethora of jellyfish- their translucent bodies overlapping to create a three-dimensional mural of varying peach hues.

Leaning down to Arthur, the older blonde grinned childishly. "You know, there's a saying that once you fall in love with the ocean, you'll always return to her. I guess that still applies to your brother."

Puzzled, "How do you fall in love with water Uncle Kyle?" Wasn't he referring to the sharks?

Kyle rubbed the boy's head affectionately, assuring the younger that he'd understand when the time was right and prompted them to follow Scott who had begun to move onwards.

Pushing long auburn bangs off his forehead, he elder of the brothers groaned at the heat that assaulted him in thick rolls from the glare of the sun high in the sky. When the trio had just emerged from the indoor attractions it had not been as bad, as the cool sensation from the air conditioning was still wrapped lightly over their bodies. Now, after standing in the same area that 'conveniently' was barren of shade for about fifteen minutes, the heat was beginning to get to him. How long was Kyle and his stupid little brother going to spend watching fat whiskered mammals do nothing but swim in a circle in their circle shaped pen?

Leaning idly over the metal restriction bar that bordered the pool, he admitted that even though it was a bit of a pain, he was glad his uncle had thought to bring the two of them to an aquarium. For Arthur's sake of course; he didn't care much for these sorts of trips at his age, nope. Although at first, he was leery at coming to such a place so early after what had happened back home, but seeing Arthur so happy and carefree eased these concerns in a heartbeat. After lunch and another hour spent roaming around, the little idiot even managed to fall asleep; leaving Kyle to carry him back to the car.

Only through the groggy haze of half-lidded consciousness did the younger remember the jeep halting to a gentle stop and being lifted out of the car and into his room, where careful hands tenderly removed his shoes and laid him atop the pale blue sheets of the bed.


End file.
